Cruz is the most successful Filipino taekwondo jin, also having won three silver and two bronze medals in the World Championships, two bronze medals in the World Cup and a gold, a silver and a bronze in the Asian Championships.

He knows a good match when he sees one.

“Kaya ni Elaine,” said Cruz yesterday as he quietly celebrated his 44th birthday.

Espinoza, gold medalist in the 2007 World Championships and 2016 Pan American Games, also stands 5-foot-8 like Alora. She is two years older at 28 and is just a couple of kilos heavier.